Leading US Jewish Group Calls on French President to Cancel Upcoming ‘Sham’ Israeli-Palestinian Peace Conference in Paris

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French President Francois Hollande. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

A leading US Jewish group called on Friday on French President Francois Hollande to cancel an international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process set to be held in Paris on Jan. 15.

“In the aftermath of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which was a significant step backward in achieving direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, and Secretary [of State John] Kerry’s speech on Middle East peace earlier this week, the international community should not plunge forward with the ill-conceived and poorly timed Paris conference,” Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Chairman Stephen M. Greenberg and Vice Chairman and CEO Malcolm Hoenlein stated. “Now is a time for serious reflection on how peace can best be achieved, not for another sham forum in which the usual one-sided outcomes against Israel are the likeliest result. Given the significant issues that were raised in the past week which have long-term implications for the prospects for peace, proper preparation after serious consultation is essential.”

Another reason to put the conference on hold, Greenberg and Hoenlein said, was “the impending transition to a new US administration on January 20th. It makes no sense that the next administration is precluded from participating in a discussion of an essential component of US foreign policy with which it will be engaged.”

Instead of meeting in Paris, all of the involved parties should seek to bring Israel and the Palestinians together for “direct negotiations without pre-conditions,” Greenberg and Hoenlein went on to say.

“Israel has long sought direct talks, it is time for the Palestinian leaders to stop evading their responsibility and seeking to use international fora to avoid the only true path to a lasting peace,” they concluded.

In an interview with The Algemeiner earlier this week, Hoenlein warned it was possible the Obama administration could — following the passage of the anti-Israeli settlement Security Council resolution last Friday — take a “further damaging step” against the Jewish state before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month.

“We need to prepare for every option,” Hoenlein said.

Expressing concern about the planned Paris conference, Hoenlein noted it “could produce a document that could then be brought to the Security Council for an immediate vote.”

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would Hollande listen to Trump if he or someone for him asked? Any leverage?

Efram Paul

With the French hosting it, there can be no pretense of an attempt at peace. It will be the usual ‘let’s hate on and attack Israel’ that this deeply antisemitic country believes to its bones. Asking them to have negotiations even approximating fair would be like asking Hitler to fast on Yom Kippur.

jobacon

This is the second time that France has attempted to intervene in the Israel-Palestine conflict. The utter fruitlessness and pointlessness of the first time ought to have taught France a lesson by now! Totally agree that the timing is nothing short of ridiculous, but perhaps the aim is the same as Obama’s to get in a dig at the only democracy in the Middle East before Trump leads to call to boycott the boycotters and the hostility to Israel by the international bodies is revealed to be what it is – a massive plot by the wealthy Arab countries to discredit the tiny Jewish state while doing nothing to help their own people suffering from their own civi wars and dictatorships.

schwarzerschwan

France clearly believes that Hollande (9% approval rating) and the US (Obama 3 weeks left) have a mandate to set the basis for Israel to commit suicide for the sake of good relations with Islamic fascist states.

Not working out too well for either side is it?

duncanmc

Israel’s leaders should let it be known that they are willing to immediately annex the west bank and if attacked will respond with a biblical scale of force in defense. There is no reason to continue to tread softly. The knives are out and the enemy is at the doors.

mikey248

Need to say this just a little stronger.

The question at hand is whether Holland is going to play host to Dreyfus Trial 2017.

Leslie Benjamini

The French & American & EU governments along with the Palestinians are hell bent on trying to damage Israel as much as they can before Jan 20.

France was always rather anti-Israel. Remember, how it stopped sending “Mirage”-planes to Israel during 6-day-war in 1967. And all her actions were more or less anti-Israel. This asking by Jewish Group is almost nothing. If they can make a petition and collect a million of Jewish voices, it may help, But it is unfortunately , so far a surrealism. Some day the American Jews will understand it in full, but it would be too late. Very very sad.

G-d bless Trump and save him

Victoria poupko

To the great sorrow, Obama is getting more and more criminal towards Israel, he finally took off his mask about his “friendship” with Israel. He is a bad enemy of Israel. Kerry is an idiot and all his foreign policy is a failure, e.g.: “Russia is no more an enemy”, “I hope Ukraine will not be a battleground between East and West etc.; and finally a most absurd and outrageous statement about Israel: “Israel should pick–either it is Jewish or democratic; both is impossible”. It is such incredible absurd that I couldn’t sleep that night after his “speech”.
But still the most scariest that 70% of American Jews voted for Hillary, who has the same orientation as Obama. Let American Jews learn by heart the classic Ted Cruz’s sentence: “first I am Christian, second American”.

Fred

I like the failed state of France wanting to go onto the World stage to repair the Middle East. France is a has-been dominated by Muslim interests incapable to fix its house yet knowing all prepared to fix something more complex. France is inept ,incompetent to to anything but grandstanding. France perdu…